Fasch: Overture, Sinfonias & Concerti - Cappella Coloniensis

Johann Friedrich Fasch
Overture, Sinfonias & Concerti
Cappella Coloniensis, Günther Wich, Hanns-Martin Schneidt
Phoenix Editon 191

It's a fairly well known fact that Bach had a keen interest in music of his musical ancestors as well as his contemporaries. His library contained music of other German composers as well as music from France and Italy. Among the composers whose music found a home on Bach's shelves were Antonio Vivaldi, Christoph Graupner, and Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758). Whether or not Bach ever performed this music with his Collegium Musicum at Zimmermann's Coffee House in Leipzig is unknown, but Bach thought enough of the music of these and other composers to seek it out and collect it.

In the case of Fasch, Bach's interest was well founded. Fasch had been a student of Johann Kuhnau, Bach's predecessor at Leipzig's Thomasschule, and had founded an ensemble that rivaled Kuhnau's. Fasch also had encountered the music of Vivaldi, which had a telling effect upon an entire generation of composers. He had no formal training in composition, but by the second decade of the 18th century, Fasch's reputation was so widespread that he was being commissioned to compose operas for Duke Moritz Wilhelm of Saxe-Zeitz. A period of travel followed and Fasch settled in Zerbst in 1722. The same year Fasch was twice invited to apply for the post of Thomaskantor in Leipzig, the position being vacated by the death of his teacher, Kuhnau, but Fasch withdrew from the competition and the position eventually went to Bach. Fasch was to remain in Zerbst for the rest of his life.

In the 19th century, Fasch was overshadowed by Bach and it was only in the early years of the 20th century that German musicologist Hugo Reimann, after studying several of Fasch's overtures, described him as one of the most important transitional composers between the Baroque and Classical periods. The transitional nature of Fasch's work, that is to say, the synthesis of Baroque and Classical styles with a gradual increase in emphasis on the more "modern" elements, is the most striking aspect of his music. The orchestral suites, or overtures, are based on the traditional form of the French overture, followed by a series of dance movements. The fugues in the overtures are frequently interrupted by homophonic episodes for wind instruments; sometimes they are entirely replaced by free symphonic movements. The airs, allegros, or andantes interspersed between the dances are of an equally striking "modern" nature, being derived from the lyrical or rhythmical alternation of wind and string groups. In the symphonies, there is evidence of what would become Classical form, and in the concertos, of which 64 survive, one can detect the shift from Baroque to the early Classical style quite clearly. As for Fasch's concertos, most follow the three-movement form forged by Vivaldi.

The material on this Phoenix Edition CD was recorded and broadcast by WDR Köln between 1970 and 1987, but I'm unable to determine whether this is a reissue. That aside, the performances, though entirely musical and competent, are somewhat dated in sound and style, lacking the energy and excitement that we now associate with the period-instrument movement. The soloists are certainly up to the challenges offered them and perform admirably.

These are not the best recordings of Fasch that I have heard, but for the uninitiated, they will serve as an adequate introduction to his music.

Editorial Review, Amazon.com